She gave me a chin lift. “Hey yourself.”
She was so damn close I could feel the heat of her body as it begged to be touched. The bartender handed me a shot glass and I wrapped my fingers around it to keep them occupied. “You look…” There were no words to describe how she looked, so I settled with, “Great.” Then realizing how stupid that sounded, I said, “Gorgeous. You look incredible, Naomi.”
And I was rambling like a goddamn idiot.
The smile she gave me was amused. “Thanks.” Her gaze ignited as it raked down my body. “You look incredible, too. Toast?” She held up her shot glass.
I joined her. “To Link and Emily?”
“Sure, we’ll give them the first one.” She tapped her glass to mine then tossed it back like a pro before ordering us another round.
I knew I should resist her—should get the hell out of there while I still could—but I didn’t want to. Instead, I picked up my refilled shot glass and asked, “What are we toasting next?”
Naomi
IAM NOT going to sleep with Eagle.
I am not going to sleep with Eagle.
Determined to keep myself under control so I didn’t jump his bones the instant I saw him coming down the stairs, I repeated the mantra, over and over in my head. Like usual, he was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt under his cut with jeans and boots, but God, he looked good. His arms and chest had gotten even bigger and more defined. His eyes, darker and more intense. His long dark hair was loose and still wet from his shower. The clean, masculine scent of him screwed with my senses as he strolled by, watching me with his heated gaze.
I am not going to sleep with Eagle.
But then I saw him in a suit and all bets were off.
I didn’t understand the attraction because men in suits had never been my thing. Give me a rough-necked blue-collar man over a suit any day, but putting a rough-necked blue-collar man in a suit… That just wasn’t playing fair.
I was so screwed.
Well, not yet, but I wanted to be.
He stood at the back of theJoni Earl Great Hall, waiting with Wasp as Jayson and Havoc headed toward the front. The instant his gaze landed on me, it felt like my entire body went up in flames. Memories of how his mouth had felt on my core made me ache with need.Visions of his hands sliding over my waist and gripping my hips made my thighs squeeze together as I approached him, his greedy gaze gobbling me up.
My legs wobbled as I strolled past him on three-inch heels, trying to focus on Wasp. Wasp said something but all I heard was blood pounding in my ears. He was waiting for a response like he’d asked me a question. Feeling like an idiot, I muttered, “Um. Yes.”
Wasp chuckled and linked arms with me.
“Sorry, what did you say?” I asked with one eye still on Eagle.
“Nothing. Never mind. You two better stop staring at each other or Link’s gonna know something’s up.”
Thankfully we were walking down the aisle, and Eagle was now behind me. Smiling at my nervous brother, I breathed deeply, and repeated the mantra.
I am not going to sleep with Eagle.
Even as I muttered the words under my breath, I knew they were a lie. I’d stooped so low I was lying to myself now.Not really, I reasoned since I had no desire tosleepwith Eagle. Honestly, sleeping was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to rake my hands through his hair, pull his head back, sit on his face, and let him pleasure me until he made up for not saying goodbye.
And then the real fun would start.
His heated gaze boiled my blood and made me want to fan myself. Wasp deposited me beside Jayson and I kept my attention on Link. I couldn’t look at Eagle as he and Julia walked up the aisle. If I did, I was likely to throw myself at him right there in front of the preacher, my dad, Link, God, and everyone.
Being in Eagle’s vicinity was like playing with G-forces. He was a planet, warping time and space around him to create an irresistible gravitational pull. I’d spent two years away, but that pull on my body was even stronger now. I could keep fighting it, but I’d run out of fuel eventually. Landing on Eagle was inevitable.
More memories of our night together played through my mind during the ceremony, drawing my attention away. It was only sex. I’d had sex before and since, so why couldn’t I stop thinking about that night? Loud cheering made me realize I’d missed something important. I looked up to see Link trying to suck Emily’s face off. Laughing, I shook my head and joined in the cheering. My brother’s smile grew feral as he picked up his bride and carried her down the aisle.
My chest squeezed at the sight. I was happy for Link and Emily, but for the first time ever, I felt like my life was missing something. I felt… lonely.
Marriage had never even been on my radar, but I could practically hear my biological clock ticking as I joined Wasp and followed the happy couple down the aisle. Did weddings bring this shit out in everyone? My hormones felt out of control, and my life-long single status suddenly seemed offensive. I was so emotionally fucked-up that adding alcohol to the mix seemed like the natural next step, so I did the stupidest thing I could think of and followed Eagle to the bar.
